A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 15 eBook

After passing Footooha, we met with a reef of rocks;
and, as there was but little wind, it cost us some
trouble to keep clear of them. This reef lies
between Footooha and Neeneeva, which is a small low
isle, in the direction of E.N.E. from Footooha, at
the distance of seven or eight miles. Footooha
is a small island, of middling height, and bounded
all round by a steep rock. It lies S. 67 deg.
E., distant six leagues from Kao, and three leagues
from Kotoo, in the direction of N. 33 deg. E.
Being past the reef of rocks just mentioned, we hauled
up for Neeneeva, in hopes of finding anchorage; but
were again disappointed, and obliged to spend the
night, making short boards. For, although we had
land in every direction, the sea was unfathomable.

In the course of this night, we could plainly see
flames issuing from the volcano upon Toofoa, though
to no great height.

At day-break in the morning of the 16th, with a gentle
breeze at S.E., we steered N.E. for Hepaee, which
was now in sight; and we could judge it to be low
land, from the trees only appearing above the water.
About nine o’clock we could see it plainly forming
three islands, nearly of an equal size; and soon after,
a fourth to the southward of these, as large as the
others. Each seemed to be about six or seven miles
long, and of a similar height and appearance.
The northernmost of them is called Haanno, the next
Foa, the third Lefooga, and the southernmost Hoolaiva;
but all four are included, by the natives, under the
general name Hepaee.

The wind scanting upon us, we could not fetch the
land, so that we were forced to ply to windward.
In doing this, we once passed over some coral rocks,
on which we had only six fathoms water; but the moment
we were over them, found no ground with eighty-fathoms
of line. At this time, the isles of Hepaee bore,
from N., 50 deg. E., to S., 9 W. We got up with
the northernmost of these isles by sunset; and there
found ourselves in the very same distress, for want
of anchorage, that we had experienced the two preceding
evenings; so that we had another night to spend under
sail, with land and breakers in every direction.
Toward the evening, Feenou, who had been on board
all day, went forward to Hepaee, and took Omai in
the canoe with him. He did not forget our disagreeable
situation; and kept up a good fire, all night, by way
of a land-mark.

As soon as the day-light returned, being then close
in with Foa, we saw it was joined to Haanno, by a
reef running even with the surface of the sea, from
the one island to the other. I now dispatched
a boat to look for anchorage. A proper place
was soon found; and we came-to, abreast of a reef,
being that which joins Lefooga to Foa (in the same
manner that Foa is joined to Haanno), having twenty-four
fathoms depth of water; the bottom coral sand.
In this station, the northern point of Hepaee, or
the north end of Haanno, bore N., 16 deg. E. The
southern point of Hepaee, or the south end of Hoolaiva,
S., 29 deg. W.; and the north end of Lefooga,
S., 65 deg. E. Two ledges of rocks lay without
us; the one bearing S., 50 deg. W.; and the other
W. by N. 1/2 N., distant two or three miles. We
lay before a creek in the reef, which made it convenient
landing at all times; and we were not above three
quarters of a mile from the shore.